I know this is a question that is old as dirt... but out of curiosity, how many of you open your potj figures and wich are the most fun out of the package, and how do you like to display them ??

On the other hand how many leave them in the package, and why ?? and how do you display them. On the wall ?? in a star case ??

Overall which is more fun to you ??

The Bald Ewok

08-29-2001, 10:15 AM

I used to open mine, but I used to have a hard time trying to keep up with who had what weapons and where they were. So I just find it easier to keep them in their package. Its just convienent for me! Also I do display them, but I am working on a better way to put them up without putting a million holes in the wall. One day I plan to build a display case!

JEDIpartner

08-29-2001, 10:17 AM

I know some think that I am a complete idiot for opening my figures, but I do.

I love collecting for the sake of enjoying my figures. I like to pose them and touch them. I think it takes me back to my childhood a bit, but it also helps me step back from the more "serious" issues that surround me in life. There are a couple of hard-to-find figures that I have kept carded if I was able to get more than one- just as insurance (in case I go broke and need big cash sometime down the line). I don't collect in the hopes that what I have found will bring me monetary gain, but rather simple joy.

So... that's my answer. I'd open them if you are collecting for pleasure and not financial rewards. If you want THAT... invest in something else!

PloKoon2385

08-29-2001, 12:28 PM

To quote Buzz Lightyear: "You (toys) are a child's play-thing!"

And I agree! Toys are meant to be opened and played with. Or else they end up like Stinky Pete. I play with my toys all the time. I don't really care if I get them a little scratched. And besides, they are good to get the stress out. Sometimes when I am angry I go and get Obi-Wan and Darth Maul (Final Battle) and SLICE him! HAHAHHAHAHA!

Lobito

08-29-2001, 12:39 PM

I open all my figures and keep the cards in boxes, i have some unopened figs and ships, cuzz i dont have space to display them!!

Starfig873

08-29-2001, 12:48 PM

I open all my figures. Even the rarer ones! I keep all the weapons in several ziplock bags, and I can remember what weapon goes with what character...I don't know how, but I do. I enjoy opening them up, they are just more fun that way! :D

JediCole

08-29-2001, 01:08 PM

It may be a throwback to the fact that I've been a collector since 1977 when I got the Early Bird Set at the age of 12for Christmas. Back in those days we didn't have an after market or collector/speculator scalpers. You opened your figures and played with and displayed them. I still do to this day with a few exceptions. Sometimes I will buy a resculpt and not open it or an extra of one I will open (like I will with Amanaman).
The funny thing is that a lot of collectors want loose figures but won't open cared ones to obtain them. I sell at local toy shows and have found that I will sometimes have a carded figure for less than another dealer will have a loose version of the same, but the collector will not buy the carded version, often paying more than my price for a loose one. It is almost as if a figure being carded is something sacred and opening it should be done by someone else. A strange trend.

Mandalorian Candidat

08-29-2001, 01:48 PM

I don't open mine because I know I'll never really play with them, so I figure that why not just leave them as they are. However, if I happen to find any on clearance then I buy extras for my son and he opens them.

I'm thinking that one day I'll pass along my collection to my son and he can do with it what he wants.

AmanaMatt

08-29-2001, 01:56 PM

I'm one of the psycho collectors out there that has both a loose and carded version of almost every fig. As time has gone on and the collection has ...ahem - expanded, I will buy only one of certain characters now and keep them carded: any Jar Jar, any non movie fig (I did open a Snowobiwan and it's great), any new Qui Gon and some of the Darth Maul figs (how many of him do we need? I am anticipating the deluxe though - at least it's different)

I do have an open Darktrooper and movie or not, that is one serious action figure!

mrhat

08-29-2001, 02:26 PM

I do open my figures, and recenly built a neat little display for them, and organized them by, movie, association, and character. I will be building some new ones id imagine for episode 2, so till then

bigbarada

08-29-2001, 02:33 PM

I open up every figure I buy as a rule. If I like a figure enough, I'll buy one carded just to have an untouched spare. If I really, really like a figure then I'll make it a point to collect every carded and loose variant. I've only obsessed this way about two or three figures since 1995, currently my collect-every-version figure is Mechanic Chewie. As you can gather potential secondary market value has nothing to do with the choice. It's all based on how much I like the character and the overall sculpt, accuracy and playability of the toy.

Obi-Dan Kenobi

08-29-2001, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by PloKoon2385
Sometimes when I am angry I go and get Obi-Wan and Darth Maul (Final Battle) and SLICE him! HAHAHHAHAHA!

Sometimes, even when I'm not particularly angry, I go buy a few Jar-Jars and SLICE them!

I took particular pleasure tearing open my R2 with Holo Leia that I had just payed two bucks for last winter. That was sweet.

Jargo

08-29-2001, 03:11 PM

I started out opening everything because I like to make little dioramas and stuff. then I realised that most of the people I know who collect kept all theirs in the packaging so I started to do the same so I wouldn't be seen as a heretic. Then I decided to be true to my gut instincts and about two months ago I ripped everything open including all the exclusives and rarities I'd somehow managed to aquire. I feel a lot happier with all my figures on shelves loose and posable. Most of the accesories are poo so I box those up and just give a character the weapon they had in the movie or whatever is appropriate. I've just redecorated my room and put in new shelving so i can display more of what I've got and still have room for Episodes 2 and 3 and the continuing OT and episode 1 stuff. My ships are all loose and will once again all hang from my low ceiling for me to bang my head on and love every minute of it.

My dog buster likes loose figures too and has a special interest in Luke figures for some reason. He's consumed Luke Dagobah and regularly walks off with jedi Luke from the Skiff. I hope i don't have to start collecting Luke figures just for him to maul. :) The only thing i have boxed now is a spare royal starship and some crappy episode one jedi for customising purposes. I'd be more than happy to trade the starship as it takes up way too much room in my loft. :p

PloKoon2385

08-29-2001, 03:37 PM

BigBarada, I do the same thing, except I never go and actively seek out the variation. I only buy them to open, and occasionally to keep carded, like of characters I like, and extras I find.

xboywonder

08-29-2001, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by mrhat
I do open my figures, and recenly built a neat little display for them, and organized them by, movie, association, and character. I will be building some new ones id imagine for episode 2, so till then

COOL !!
mrhat can you describe you display that you built ??

The reason I ask is because I am thinking of building a display or two myself.... I have almost every single potf2 figure on card hanging on the walls in a spare bedroom in my house... It has become very tempting to open a few here and there... so I have.
but now the question remains... do I open the rest ?? leaving them in the package is a cool and easy way to display the figures. But there is always the desire to take them out and handle them and play with them.

So I figure if I can build some really cool displays and dioramas... then that will justify opening some more figures !!

But once you open you can never go back....

Jargo

08-29-2001, 07:40 PM

That's the same thing my Dad said to me when he gave me that little 'talk' when I was thirteen......

My view is that keeping figures carded is like having a museum. Great to look at in the future and remember when toys still had play value and weren't all virtual electronic screeching migraine inducing rip offs. If folk keep them carded then fine but actually opening them and feeling the different textures and seeing clearly the tiny tool marks left by the sculptor is beyond words. The little skip of the heart you get when you see up close the work that goes into creating a face and tiny little noses and fingers and fabric folds etc. you can't see that when the figure is kept in the bubble. You can't move the arms and legs and pose them the way you want to. you can't recreate little movie scenes or create your own and feed your imagination. The smell of a newly opened figure is intoxicating. I have those few remaining jedi in my room still packed and tempting me to rip them open even though i already have opened ones. I have a Naboo fighter I've never opened and I'm going to open it tomorrow to get my new toy fix.
If you think you might sell them later on in life then keep them carded so they get you more cash, if you don't think you'll ever sell then open and begin to really enjoy them. Carded collectors are too stuffy and grown up for my taste, I prefer folk who open and relearn how to be a kid. There's scientific research that shows that if you continue to play with toys when you grow up, you live longer because you keep your brain more active. I hope I never grow up. I want to be a kid forever.

One day i was putting my newly acqired Sliced Maul and Choco wan wave (loooong time ago) any way, i had been using these huge sheleves that i had in my room forever, but soon realized that, DANG! i need more room, so i pondered and pondered, then i said wait, why not just build some int othe walls. so i measured my wall space and made something that kinda looks like this:

----------------

----------------

----------------

if i could scan a picture i would, but i can't so heres the genri picture. its basically 10-11 shelves made of 2x4's, and screwed together between 2 other 2x4's and i put backrounds behind them (kind like an ultirama, except on a bedroom wall scale.) I have Jabbas, The Cantina, Imerials, Rebels, Sith Jedi, Trade Federation invasion, etc.. (it looks like this, but with wood on the side)

its not hard, but its cool and convieniant. so ill go into more details when i can get to them, hope this helps though.

stillakid

08-29-2001, 08:24 PM

I open just about everything I have, but hang onto the packaging much to the consternation of my wife. For a relatively short while, I kept some stuff sealed but the need to take stuff out and hold it got to be too much. That and the shear number of people who think that their collections will be worth tons of money someday will be thwarted due to the shear number of people who think that their collections will be worth tons of money someday.

Now if I could only figure out a way to display some of this stuff with very limited space...

muskrat

08-29-2001, 11:44 PM

I think its a matter of preference to the individual for displaying. I keep mine in the package, simply because I like displaying them that way. Lets face the facts in this day an age of action figure collecting with the high production numbers and soooooooo many people collecting now, it will not be like it was 25 years ago, very few people collected action figures which explains the crazy prices of carded vintage figs. Most of new stuff won't be worth anything unless you have some wierd variant or HTF one ie: Weequay Skiff freeze frame. So my final say is open em, keep in the package who cares so long as you are having fun with it, keep on collecting!!!

Darth AL

08-30-2001, 02:05 AM

the only reason people keep there figs on card is cause they care about how much it will be worth in the future, which in turn means they would like to make a profit off it in the long run.

I bust all my figs out of the packages and play with them set them up in cool poses and dioramas and I know which weapon and excessory goes to each fig its hard to contain the child inside me still.

don`t let anyone tell you otherwords just rip that sucker out of the package (you can keep the card if you want, I don`t its just extra garbage) and see how much nicer they look and how much more fun they are to have when there not useless in plastic and cardboard!!!! :D

Starfig873

08-30-2001, 07:46 AM

Y'know what else is fun? Playing with the Action Fleet ships! Weee! I had so much fun with those. I could set up little Imperial posts then have a squadron of X-Wings, B-Wings, and A-Wings come in and tear them up! And the playsets always increased the play value for me! Rebels need a new base? Yavin base...but hey! It doesn't have to be called Yavin! Death Star playset? Nope, now its a Star Destroyer hangar. My ceiling fan? Good for air circulation? Nope, now its another Imperial base! Those things were fun, I really hope Hasbro brings them back... :)

JediTricks

08-30-2001, 08:37 AM

I buy one to open and a second one also to open. ;)

evenflow

08-30-2001, 09:00 AM

I open whatever I really like. I'll buy two for that. The problem with opening them for me, is that they usually are destroyed and ripped apart. I end up needed parts for customs. :)

QLD

08-30-2001, 09:23 AM

When I first started collecting again, I bought 1 to keep carded, and 1 to open.

Then one day, I realized that I was going broke fast, and that it looks retarded when you try to display carded figures. I don't want my living room looking like Wal-Mart. ALso, you think people harass you for your collection loose, it is ten fold if you have a carded collection!

Basically, I was just keeping the carded ones in a box in my closet, which was a complete waste of time and money. SO, I opened everything I didn't have opened already, bought a couple of bookcases, and sold my extras on ebay for a good chunk of money!

I have felt better ever since.

Obi-Don

08-31-2001, 09:22 AM

You know,I never thought about what they might be worth in the future.I just knew how much they are worth to me.Thats why I open everyone and thing I buy.These are for me and takes me back to when I was a kid and couldn't have them.I know that they are just toys,but they are important to me and I'm lucky that my wife understands and doesn't give me a hard time about it.:) Besides all I do is work and sleep,there isn't much time for much,and all I have is my wife,kids,and Star Wars[What else do I need]